


The Difference Between

by Laylah



Category: Magna Carta: Tears of Blood
Genre: Backstory, Blow Job, Clothing Kink, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-19
Updated: 2007-11-19
Packaged: 2017-10-03 10:19:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laylah/pseuds/Laylah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What's the difference between a whore and a mercenary?"</p><p>Calintz opened his mouth, then shut it again. Lehas had to admit it sounded like the setup for a bad joke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Difference Between

"Lehas, I can't do this." Calintz gestured vaguely, indicating the clothes laid out for him or the room they stood in or possibly the entire Alliance headquarters.

"This?" Lehas asked, suppressing a sigh. Calintz was such a skilled fighter, and so charismatic as the public face of the Tears of Blood, sometimes she forgot how _young_ he was.

He pointed at the costume. "_This_," he clarified. "I can understand him wanting me to clean up before we talked. We were all pretty filthy when we got back from Efor. But I can't wear this! I'll feel like a -- like a --"

"Like a whore?"

"_Yes_!" Calintz burst out, then flinched. "No offense."

Lehas smiled patiently. "None taken. I'm not ashamed of what I did before I joined." She folded her arms. "But I think your priorities need to be reexamined."

Calintz blushed. "You think I shouldn't care that he's treating me like a catamite?"

"I think," she said calmly, "that we need a steady job. Badly." Lehas kept the actual accounts, but all of them could tell when things were this tough -- when they had to scavenge monster corpses for hides and horns to sell, and they had to ration their supply of combat talismans carefully. Things hadn't been this bad in years, since they first came together as a mercenary company.

"I'm not a whore," Calintz insisted, glaring at the costume as though it were responsible for all his troubles.

Lehas sighed. "What's the difference between a whore and a mercenary?"

Calintz opened his mouth, then shut it again. Lehas had to admit it sounded like the setup for a bad joke. Finally, he gave her a wary look and tried, "The nature of the services for sale?" She raised an eyebrow, a reminder that she'd been combining the two trades the night she met the Tears of Blood. "Usually," he amended.

"Right. And sex isn't that much more unpleasant than killing, is it?" He shook his head, blushing again, and before he could think of a new objection, she pressed the advantage: "I know I wouldn't want to have to explain to Chris that he can't buy his little girl a new pair of shoes because you were too proud to spend a few minutes on your knees."

"You think," Calintz squirmed, not looking at her, "you think he's going to want that?"

"Mmm." Lehas picked up the pants that had been left for him, examining them with a critical eye. "No, maybe not. These do sort of make it look like he'd rather fuck you."

"No," Calintz said immediately. "No, absolutely not. I've never -- I wouldn't -- I mean, if I ever --"

Lehas laid a hand on his arm to calm him down. "Relax. You can almost always make a client grateful to just take what you give him."

Calintz smiled weakly. "Just like being a mercenary, huh?"

"Just like." Lehas smiled back reassuringly. "You're going to go in there, you're going to impress the hell out of him, you're going to give him a little head, and he's going to give you a contract. Make him _like_ you, Calintz. You're good at that."

"You think so?" Calintz laughed a little, his eyes still wary.

"Absolutely. He's even given you a strategic advantage." She stroked the fine linen of the tabard. "Put these on, and we'll see what they tell us about the General's preferences."

None of them had held out more than a week or two in attempts to be modest around her. By now it was nothing for Calintz to strip in front of her, or for her to help him into his new clothes when the fastenings weren't immediately obvious. The tabard was soft, pearl-gray linen, trimmed in velvet, with attached sleeves and decorative sprays of white pheasant feathers at the back. It laced tight at the sides, and arced up above waist level to show off the lines of his hips and the fine gold chains that held the pants in place in lieu of a proper waistband. The rest of the costume was as dark as charcoal, and the pants were cut low at the sides to leave his hips bared.

"I feel ridiculous," Calintz complained, his hands hovering over his exposed hips.

"You _look_ alluring," Lehas said. She brushed his hands away so she could smooth the chains into symmetrical crosses. "And this is more than enough information to allow you to plan your attack."

Calintz looked in the mirror, grimacing. "It is?"

"More than enough," Lehas repeated. "The way these pieces are cut, to bare only your hips and shoulders -- he wants something sensual, but not ordinary. Not crude. The feathers," and she teased them into shape, so they hung more elegantly behind him, "are either a sign that he prefers grace over brute strength, or else that he's been researching your favored chi -- both possibilities are promising." She stepped back. "Walk for me."

"What?" Calintz gave her an alarmed look.

"Go on." She pointed. "Down to the door and back."

He still looked skeptical, but he went. The feathered tail of the tabard swayed invitingly with each step, drawing more attention to his hips. Almost perfect.

"One foot in front of the other," she suggested. "Shoulders back."

Calintz tried it, and made a face. "It feels so unbalanced."

Lehas smiled. "And that's the difference between seduction and martial arts, isn't it? Think of it as a feint. You're pretending to be more vulnerable than you are, so that he will lower his guard, and give you something more valuable than you're giving him."

"More valuable?" Calintz echoed in disbelief.

"Well, that's the other difference," Lehas shrugged. "The price of a blowjob from an unskilled boy, even an attractive one, wouldn't buy all of us a hot meal. This contract, on the other hand, could get us new gear and weapons, a supply of talismans, and maybe even a place to stay.

"It'll be fine, you'll see." She reached out for him. "Now come here and let me do something about your hair."

* * *

Calintz tried not to meet anyone's eyes as he walked through the Alliance Headquarters on the way to General Agreian's office. At least Lehas had decided against painting his face, but he still felt just ridiculous. And her words still echoed in his head, the wry straightforward advice she'd given him as she twisted his hair up into its current arrangement. She meant to help, he was sure -- and she'd started doing this job when she was much younger than he was now, so she certainly had the experience to draw on -- but he didn't know how he was supposed to negotiate a mercenary contract when he was thinking about sucking cock.

He stopped at the door and tried again to pull his tabard down more on the sides. Really, the way it was cut was nearly indecent. But he supposed that ought to work in his favor, all things considered. He knocked twice at the door, then turned the knob.

General Agreian was sitting at his desk, just setting his pen down as Calintz walked in, and when he looked up the surprise was visible on his face for a second before he rose.

"Captain Calintz," he said, his voice welcoming, "thank you for coming to see me. You look well."

"Thank you, sir." Calintz reached out and took the offered hand, surprised and pleased to feel sword calluses under his fingers. Agreian might have gained his rank at such a young age for political reasons, but he was still a soldier. That was reassuring. "I'm -- we were all glad to hear of your interest in the Tears of Blood."

Agreian smiled. "Have a seat," he offered, his eyes following the sway of Calintz's hips for a second before he collected himself. "Would you care for some brandy?"

"Please," Calintz nodded. He wasn't used to the stuff -- they never seemed to have enough money to spare for anything that strong -- but it seemed like the diplomatic thing to do.

"I've heard a lot about you," Agreian said, setting two glasses down on the desk. The brandy was the same color as his eyes. "You've made quite a name for yourselves, for such a young company."

Calintz hesitated. "We --" _hate the Yason for all we're worth_ \-- "take a lot of pride in our work. It's something that -- that all of us feel passionate about."

Agreian nodded, sipping his brandy. "I've heard that, too. Tell me -- what would you consider your greatest strengths? How could I best use you?"

He couldn't possibly mean that the way it sounded. Probably. Calintz took a drink to cover his momentary embarrassment. "We -- we would do well in covert operations," he began, not quite meeting the general's eyes. "We don't have the manpower to function as a regular unit, but you have plenty of those already, right? Send us on precision raids. We work well with each other, and we've developed different styles appropriate to a variety of terrain. We've also all trained in chi modification, to allow us to change the conditions of battle in our favor." He paused. "Is this...?"

"Very useful, yes," Agreian said. "It sounds quite promising. Now -- what are your team's weaknesses?"

Calintz blinked. "Sir?"

Agreian smiled again. "I wouldn't send my cavalry to do espionage work, captain, and I wouldn't want to deploy the Tears of Blood anywhere they might not be effective."

"Right." Calintz put his brandy down and collected his thoughts. This _would_ be a worthwhile contract, and not just for the immediate pay. If Agreian wanted to use them in positions where they'd excel, they could probably use that success to get more work, and...Lehas would be thrilled. "Our biggest weakness is our lack of offensive magic. Sometimes our inventor can compensate for that, but, ah, he's not always...effective. We've written to start negotiations with the mages' school at Bayer, but so far none of their people have volunteered to sign on with us. I think -- I mean, Lehas is pretty confident that it's just a matter of time."

"Lehas -- the one I talked to on the comm sphere?"

"Yes, sir. She's our manager."

Agreian nodded. "I have no doubt she'll make it happen. She seems like a very driven woman."

"Yes, sir."

"You can stop that, you know," Agreian said gently, and for a second the awkwardness on his face made him look younger, less like Amabat's Champion and more like a boy Calintz's own age.

"Stop...?"

"Calling me 'sir,'" Agreian clarified. He looked down at his desk for a second, before his negotiating composure returned. "I'd -- we're both leaders of our own forces, aren't we?"

"Except that yours is much bigger than mine," Calintz said without thinking, and then blushed furiously when Agreian's lips twitched in a brief smile.

"Ah, but I hear yours is quite effective," Agreian returned, and then stopped himself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be flirting with you, should I, captain?"

Calintz smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring fashion. "You can stop that, too," he said, and continued before Agreian could misunderstand, "Calling me 'captain,' I mean. At least...behind closed doors, right? I don't mind you using my name."

Agreian nodded. "Thank you, then. Calintz." He hesitated, as if he wasn't sure how to mention that Calintz hadn't said anything about the flirting.

He could do this, Calintz realized. It wouldn't be so bad after all. "Don't mention it." Agreian was young, and attractive, and awfully _nice_ for an officer in the regular military. He could see himself doing something like this voluntarily, even. "Can I -- would you be offended if I did the same?"

"No. Not at all." Agreian sat back in his chair. "I suspect my staff wouldn't like it much," he said thoughtfully, but from the look on his face Calintz didn't think that was really a reason _not_ to do it.

"I'll be careful, then. I'll make sure they don't hear me." Calintz stood up and stretched, arms over his head, watching through his lashes as Agreian tried not to stare. "So what do you think? Will you give the Tears of Blood a trial mission, and let us show you what we can do?"

Agreian rose, his chair scraping back against the flagstones, and nodded. "I'm willing to be convinced." He came around the desk, reaching out, and Calintz stepped closer before he could let himself panic, sliding into the general's arms. For a second surprise flickered on Agreian's face -- that Calintz would be so willing, maybe? that he would take so little convincing? -- and then Calintz leaned in, closing his eyes as he offered his mouth for a kiss.

For a brief moment neither of them moved; Calintz could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and he wondered if he'd made a terrible mistake. Then Agreian's lips parted, his hands coming to rest on the bare skin of Calintz's hips as he slid his tongue into Calintz's mouth. His mouth was warm with the brandy, and he moaned when Calintz met the press of his tongue.

This would be fine, Calintz told himself. He could do this. It would be fine, it would -- he could feel Agreian's cock hardening against his thigh. They were really doing this. He was about to have General Agreian's cock in his mouth.

At least, he would if he suggested it before Agreian came up with any other ideas.

"Please," Calintz murmured, his lips brushing Agreian's, "can I -- can I suck you?"

Agreian shivered, hands tightening on his hips. "You want that?"

Calintz nodded. He wanted it more than he wanted to be bent over the desk, at any rate. He reached down, pressing his hand to the hard heat under Agreian's tunic, and Agreian moaned, rocking into his touch. "Yes?"

"Yes," Agreian breathed, hair falling in his face as he nodded. "Yes, do it." He leaned back against the desk, unfastening the catches up the front of his tunic and letting the fabric fall away as Calintz lowered himself awkwardly to his knees.

Calintz hesitated, not sure what to do next -- not sure how to even unfasten the complicated drapery of Agreian's trousers; everything to do with the Alliance seemed to be needlessly complicated, right down to the officers' clothes. "I -- I'm not, ah...."

Agreian laughed a little, like maybe he was nervous too, and reached down. "Here -- like this." He unhooked the embroidered panel across the front, and the whole thing came undone, falling away from his hips and leaving his cock bared.

It looked so much bigger up close than it had felt in his hand. Calintz took a deep breath to steady himself, tried to remember _any_ of Lehas's helpful advice, and leaned forward to take Agreian's cock in his mouth.

He closed his eyes, wetting his lips and letting the head of Agreian's cock slip between them. It felt smooth on his tongue, stretching his jaw wide, and there was a faint musky taste to it that was strange, but not as unpleasant as he'd feared it would be. And Agreian moaned as he slid down on it, taking in as much as he could. Lehas had warned him, _you'll feel like you're choking before you're anywhere near having it all in your mouth -- it takes practice to learn to swallow the whole thing_. It had made him blush and squirm at the time, but it was reassuring now, to know that he wasn't doing something _wrong_ when he had to pull up after barely getting half of it in his mouth.

Agreian didn't seem to mind his inexperience, at least -- his breathing was shaky, his hand cupped around the back of Calintz's neck just below the twist of his hair, fingers tightening as Calintz licked at the ridge where the head of his cock met the shaft. "Yes," he moaned, hips rocking slightly, "like that, more like that." He pushed again, more roughly this time, and Calintz choked, little helpless noises muffled by Agreian's cock.

He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up, Calintz thought -- it was _hotter_ than he'd thought it would be, the feel of Agreian's cock sliding against the soft tissue of his mouth, the sound of his shaky little moans -- but it was hard work, too, his jaw starting to ache and tears gathering at the corners of his eyes when another thrust made him choke again.

At least Agreian's thrusts were getting shallower, less regular, more desperate -- it shouldn't take too much longer, should it? Calintz pushed himself down a little harder, tried to swallow to stop his gag reflex when Agreian's cock brushed the back of his throat -- and then as he pulled back he felt Agreian shudder, heard him moan -- and then he was choking again on a mouthful of bitter fluid as Agreian came in his mouth.

Agreian let go of him and Calintz slumped back, shaking a little, swallowing before he could think about it too hard -- _if he comes in your mouth and not on your face_, Lehas had said, then you should swallow it -- and trying to smile.

"Thank you," Agreian said, smiling down at him, looking..._giddy_, maybe; surprised at how smoothly it had gone? Pleased with how he'd done? "Should I -- I mean, here," and then Agreian was sinking to the carpet, his clothes still in disarray as he reached for Calintz.

Wait, weren't they done here?

"You -- you, ah," Calintz stammered as Agreian pushed the front panel of his tabard aside and reached to unclasp the chains that kept his pants up around his hips.

"Yes?" Agreian asked, pushing the fabric out of the way and wrapping a hand around Calintz's cock. He leaned in close, nuzzling at Calintz's throat, stroking slowly as Calintz got hard.

Calintz moaned, nodding, pushing into Agreian's hand, trying not to be embarrassed at how quickly he was responding. "Yeah, it's -- it's good, yes, m-more." This wasn't something he'd expected -- Lehas hadn't even mentioned this as a possibility; she'd made it sound like this whole thing would be pretty one-sided.

But this was so much better, the sword calluses on Agreian's hand rough against the shaft of Calintz's cock, just enough friction to remind him that this was a warrior touching him -- Agreian's mouth was hot and wet against his neck as he tipped his head back, baring his throat for more -- and Calintz shivered, arching his back, thrusting into Agreian's hand -- Agreian bit down on his throat, grip tightening just a fraction more on Calintz's cock -- and Calintz moaned, shuddering as he came helplessly in Agreian's hand.

There was almost-silence for a long minute, just the rush of blood in Calintz's ears and the ragged sound of his breath. When he dared to glance over at last, Agreian smiled at him.

"I must say, I can't remember the last time I had negotiations go this well."

Calintz laughed weakly. "No, me neither. Usually it seems there's a lot more frowning and blustering and unpleasant questions."

Agreian nodded, grinning. "This was much better." He leaned in for another kiss, warm and already familiar and...almost comfortable, if they hadn't been sprawled awkwardly on the floor in front of his desk.

"I should, ah, probably be getting back to let the others know how it went," Calintz pointed out. He looked down at his lap, grimacing at the mess.

Agreian laughed. "Though probably not in that much detail, hmm? Here, let me get you something to clean up with." He re-did the fastenings on his trousers and stood up, and Calintz could hear the scrape of wood as he slid a drawer open in his desk. Then there was a soft murmur of trigger words and a wash of cool, soothing energy, and Calintz looked down again, this time in disbelief -- the Alliance had enough spare resources that Agreian could use a _talisman_ on something this trivial?

"Thanks," Calintz said, trying to sound less surprised than he felt, and then hesitated. He wasn't at all sure how he was going to get the damn costume fastened again without help.

"Something wrong?" Agreian asked, leaning down.

Calintz blushed. "Lehas had to -- had to show me how to put this on earlier."

"Ah." Agreian helped him up with a little smile, showing him where the chains hooked to the fabric and how to fasten the hidden buttons that linked the trousers with the tabard. "Here, like this. You'll get used to it."

"I imagine I'll have to, won't I?" Calintz asked with a little shrug, leaning into Agreian's hands. This wouldn't be bad at all. "If you're going to have regular missions for us, anyway."

Agreian looked him up and down, and smiled back. "I imagine I'll have to."


End file.
